She knew he would be able to help her escape safely. The arrows from behind could no longer reach them; they had escaped beyond their range. The sounds of battle gradually faded away as night enveloped the entire forest.

Even Di’e, such a spirited horse, finally became exhausted and slowed its pace.

The moon rose above the forest, its clear radiance painting everything in silvery white. The entire world was cold and silent, as if in slumber.

The life-and-death struggle from moments ago felt like a dream.

Huang Zixia only felt Li Shubai’s arms, which had been holding her, gradually loosen, but the weight of his body leaning against her grew heavier.

Though anxious in her heart, she could only hold her breath and remain still, letting Di’e carry them slowly for a while before softly calling out to him: “Your Highness…”

He didn’t answer, only resting his head on her shoulder. She heard his labored breathing, the heavy pants against her neck indicating something was wrong.

She raised her arms to hold his waist and tilted her head to look at him.

Her hands felt wet and sticky, still warm, and she knew what it was.

Li Shubai closed his eyes and said in a faint voice, “Huang Zixia, the rest of the journey will have to be left to you.”

Supporting his collapsing body, she gazed at the dark forest ahead, not knowing where she was or where she should go. There was no path forward, pursuers behind, and now her only support had fallen.

She bit her lip and responded softly, “Yes.”

Ahead was a mountain stream, surrounded by dense forest. A place with water, shelter, and the possibility for quick escape.

She dismounted first and patted Di’e’s head. Though usually fierce-tempered, Di’e now showed human-like understanding and knelt.

She pulled the unconscious Li Shubai down from the horse and saw the arrow lodged in his shoulder blade. Not daring to pull it out immediately, she first searched the grass by the water, finding some Salsola komarovii and madder root, before using her dagger to cut open his clothes and expose the arrow.

The moonlight was cold, shining upon them. It made Li Shubai’s skin appear pale, the crimson bloodstains appearing even more alarming against his skin.

She silently bit her lower lip, her hand trembling slightly as she gripped his collar. This was the first time her hand had touched a man’s bare shoulder. She felt a slight heat rising to her face. She thought that if the moonlight were brighter if someone were to see her face at this moment, they would surely notice her blushing cheeks.

But she hesitated, sudden fear rising in her heart. This person who had tossed her that bag of candy earlier in the day now lay seriously wounded and unconscious. She suddenly became afraid, afraid that the gentle look he had given her today would disappear from her sight, never to appear again.

She took a deep breath and looked down at his arrow wound. Seeing that the wound hadn’t turned black and the arrow had no barbs, she finally felt some relief.

She tore off her outer garment, cleaned the herbs, chewed them into a paste, then used her dagger to cut around the wound, quickly pulled out the arrow, and applied the herbs.

The wound was not small and blood flowed freely. She wasn’t sure if the blood would wash away the herbs, but could only tightly bandage his wound with strips of cloth.

By the time everything was done, the moon had reached its zenith. She let out a long breath, only then realizing she was covered in sweat. As she wiped away the sweat, she looked at Li Shubai lying face down on the grass. With such severe injuries, his lips were completely bloodless under the moonlight, frighteningly pale.

She stared blankly, discovering for the first time that this Duke Li Shubai, whom she had always believed would stand firmly behind her and could handle anything in the world, could also have such moments of weakness and vulnerability.

She silently watched him for a long time, then pulled up his clothes, managing to cover the messily tied bandages.

She got up and went to wash her hands in the mountain stream. In the moonlight, she saw several black stains on her palms and almost jumped up in fright, wondering if there had been poison on the arrow.

But then she realized it was probably just the black juice from the herbs she had gathered earlier staining her hands.

Still worried, she went back to Li Shubai’s side and knelt to check on him.

With his back injured, he lay face down in the grass, breathing steadily. Huang Zixia pressed her face close to his, carefully examining his complexion, and discovered that beneath his skin, there was indeed a faint black tinge.

Her heart sank, wondering if it was just the moonlight playing tricks, but upon careful examination of his hands, while his right hand was fine, his left hand also had a layer of subtle grayish-black. She rolled up his sleeve and saw a black mark on his elbow with a tiny black hole in the center.

A poison needle – when had he been struck? It couldn’t have been during their escape, it must have been… She immediately recalled the scene of Li Shubai jumping from the carriage with Princess Qile. At that time, Princess Qile had needles in her chest and neck – they must have been shot from some mechanism in something she had brought.

Was Princess Qile dead or alive?

Huang Zixia leaned against a tree, recalling how Li Shubai had mounted the horse and abandoned Princess Qile. If she had still been alive then, would Li Shubai have left so decisively, without considering taking her along?

However, she still held onto a bit of hope, thinking that perhaps Li Shubai knew their pursuers must have been connected to Princess Qile and wouldn’t harm her, which was why he had left her behind. Perhaps at that time, Princess Qile was still alive – perhaps this poison wasn’t so dangerous after all.

But she couldn’t be sure. Li Shubai, who had broken through their encirclement and protected her so resolutely along the way, had been poisoned early on and had been in critical condition the entire time. She didn’t know how severe the poison had become as he endured through their long journey.

Time was of the essence. Huang Zixia took his elbow in her arms and pressed hard on the wound, hoping to squeeze out the poisoned blood. However, no matter how hard she pressed, no blood emerged.

Huang Zixia could only use the dagger he had given her to make a cross-shaped cut on his elbow, then bent down to forcefully suck at the wound.

She drew out the blood mouthful by mouthful, spitting it into the grass. But in the moonlight, the color never seemed bright enough. She felt Li Shubai’s body becoming less warm, and not daring to continue sucking, she could only lie exhausted beside him, staring blankly at the bright moon above.

It was a waning moon in a clear sky.

A long wind swept through the treetops overhead, sounds near and far echoing hazily, making everything seem even more desolate.

Huang Zixia suddenly felt afraid. She unconsciously moved closer to Li Shubai, burying her face in his shoulder amidst the howling wind, listening intently to his breathing.

It was as thin as silk, unstable, stagnant, and slow, but at least it continued.

She breathed a sigh of relief, then turned her head away, staring blankly in the moonlight for a while before quickly getting up. Dragging her exhausted body, she carefully searched along the riverbank.

But there were only so many herbs by the river, and no matter how much she searched, she only found a few stalks of Lobelia and some Gentian root. In desperate times, she could only crush these and squeeze out the juice, dropping it into Li Shubai’s mouth, not knowing if he had swallowed it. She could only cover his mouth and wait for a long while, then apply the remaining medicine to the wound on his elbow.

Not knowing what else she could do, she could only sit beside him, hugging her knees, watching him continuously.

He slept unconscious in the moonlight, the cold light flowing over his features, making his face appear like jade carved by a skilled craftsman’s careful hand – beautiful curves that, like jade, showed no signs of life or color.

She suddenly felt an overwhelming fear rise in her heart. With trembling hands, she reached into his chest, wanting to feel his heartbeat, but her fingers touched a thin piece of paper.

She paused in surprise, took out the paper, and opened it in the cold moonlight.

On it, in strange dragon-snake seal script, was written Li Shubai’s birth date and time, and above his birth information were six large characters: “Widowed, Crippled, Orphaned, Alone, Ruined, Disabled.”

At this moment, the cold moonlight illuminated those six characters, especially highlighting the blood-red circle drawn around the character for “Ruined.”

Ruined – withered and decayed, life force depleted, from this point forward, beyond any hope of recovery!

She dazedly stuffed the charm back into his clothes, feeling her mind roar with noise, thousands of sharp blades piercing her heart, making her body tremble involuntarily as cold sweat poured down her back.

The world was so terrifying – who would have thought that the prophetic charm they had discussed just that afternoon would come true so starkly tonight!

Was it truly predestined fate, impossible to escape?

Due to her fear of the unknown, she found the dark forest increasingly terrifying and gloomy. But in these deep woods, facing an unknowable future, the person she could rely on had lost his strength.

He had said, “Huang Zixia, the rest of the journey will have to be left to you…”

Yes, at that time she had promised him, saying, “Don’t worry.”

In her heart, she repeated this promise once again. She stayed by his side, frequently checking his breathing. She needed to feel his breath scatter against her fingertips, needed to confirm his skin was warm before she could temporarily relax with some peace of mind.

She sat there for an unknown length of time until her back and waist ached. She slowly lay down again, curled up beside him, holding his wrist, constantly feeling the weak pulse of his heartbeat before she could close her eyes.

It was already early morning, and though exhausted beyond measure, she couldn’t sleep, startling awake every short while. The night wind was cold, and she felt his skin growing cool, occasionally trembling. She knew he had lost too much blood and his whole body must be cold, but she didn’t dare light a fire for fear the light would attract enemies.

After considering every possibility without finding a solution, she could only inch closer to him, carefully embracing his waist, and pressing her face against his chest, hoping her body heat could help warm him up a little.

Such an intimate position, in such a remote wilderness – if someone were to discover them, it would probably become an indelible stain on her reputation for life. Thinking this, she still held him without moving, never letting go.